Legal claims defining the scope of protection. Each claim is shown in both the original legal language and a plain English translation.
1. A method for controlling an audio playback device, comprising: acquiring acceleration data of a user, and analyzing a usage scenario of the user according to the acceleration data; acquiring an ambient sound signal of surrounding environment of the user, calculating a sound pressure level (SPL) of the ambient sound signal, and analyzing an energy distribution and a spectral distribution of the ambient sound signal; and controlling an audio signal volume of the audio playback device, an active noise cancellation level of the audio playback device, and adjustment of the ambient sound signal according to the usage scenario, the sound pressure level of the ambient sound signal, and the energy distribution and the spectral distribution of the ambient sound signal.
This invention relates to adaptive audio control systems for personal audio playback devices, such as headphones or earbuds, designed to optimize sound output based on user activity and environmental conditions. The problem addressed is the need for dynamic adjustment of audio volume, noise cancellation, and ambient sound processing to enhance user experience in varying scenarios. The method involves acquiring acceleration data from the user, which is analyzed to determine their activity or usage scenario (e.g., walking, running, or stationary). Simultaneously, ambient sound signals from the user's surroundings are captured, and their sound pressure level (SPL), energy distribution, and spectral distribution are calculated. These parameters are used to assess the acoustic environment. Based on the user's activity and the ambient sound characteristics, the system adjusts the audio playback device's volume, active noise cancellation (ANC) level, and ambient sound processing. For example, during high-intensity activities like running, the system may increase volume and ANC to block external noise, while in quieter environments, it may reduce ANC to allow ambient awareness. The adjustments ensure optimal audio quality and situational awareness without manual intervention. This approach improves user comfort and safety by dynamically adapting to both physical activity and environmental noise conditions.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: acquiring geographic location data of the user; wherein analyzing the usage scenario of the user according to the acceleration data and the geographic location data.
A system and method analyze user behavior based on motion and location data to determine usage scenarios. The invention addresses the challenge of accurately interpreting user activities by combining acceleration data from a wearable device with geographic location data. By processing these inputs, the system identifies patterns and contexts that define specific usage scenarios, such as walking, running, or driving. The geographic location data helps refine the analysis by correlating motion data with environmental factors, such as terrain or urban settings. This combined approach improves the accuracy of scenario detection compared to relying solely on motion data. The system may be used in applications like fitness tracking, navigation assistance, or safety monitoring, where understanding user behavior in real-world contexts is critical. The method ensures robust scenario recognition by dynamically adjusting analysis parameters based on both motion and location inputs, enhancing reliability in diverse environments.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the adjustment of the ambient sound signal comprises any one of wind noise suppression, voice enhancement, dynamic range adjustment or equalization (EQ) compensation, or any combination thereof.
This invention relates to audio processing systems designed to enhance ambient sound signals captured by a microphone array. The system addresses the challenge of improving audio quality in noisy environments by selectively adjusting ambient sound signals to suppress unwanted noise, such as wind noise, while preserving or enhancing desired audio components like speech. The method involves processing the ambient sound signal through one or more audio enhancement techniques, including wind noise suppression, voice enhancement, dynamic range adjustment, or equalization (EQ) compensation. Wind noise suppression reduces low-frequency disturbances caused by wind, while voice enhancement clarifies speech by amplifying relevant frequencies. Dynamic range adjustment balances loud and soft sounds, and EQ compensation corrects frequency imbalances. These techniques can be applied individually or in combination to optimize audio output based on environmental conditions. The system dynamically adapts to varying acoustic environments, ensuring clear and intelligible audio in real-time applications such as communication devices, hearing aids, or smart assistants. The invention improves user experience by mitigating background interference and enhancing the clarity of ambient sounds.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein analyzing the usage scenario of the user according to the acceleration data and the geographic location data comprises: determining an environment type of the user according to the geographic location data; calculating a movement speed of the user according to the geographic location data; calculating a cadence value of the user according to the acceleration data; and determining a motion mode of the user according to the movement speed and the cadence value.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the environment type comprise an indoor environment and a road environment; the motion mode comprise any one of: a stationary mode, a walking mode, or a transportation mode.
6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising: determining whether the user is in a talking mode.
7. The method of claim 5 , wherein if the usage scenario is that the user is in the road environment and in the walking mode, the controlling step comprises one or more of: performing suppressive filtering to a wind noise signal in the ambient sound signal; monitoring whether the ambient sound signal contains a voice signal; if the ambient sound signal contains a voice signal, performing enhancement processing on the voice signal in the ambient sound signal; performing dynamic range adjustment on the ambient sound signal according to the sound pressure level of the ambient sound signal; performing EQ compensation processing on the ambient sound signal; controlling the audio signal volume of the audio playback device according to the sound pressure level of the ambient sound signal reaching a speaker of the audio playback device, so that the sound pressure level of the audio signal reaching the speaker and the sound pressure level of the ambient sound signal reaching the speaker keep a preset proportion; and determining, according to the sound pressure level of the ambient sound signal, whether to perform active noise cancellation, and if the active noise cancellation is to be performed, adjusting a noise cancellation level of the active noise cancellation according to the sound pressure level of the ambient sound signal.
8. The method of claim 5 , wherein if the usage scenario is that the user is in the road environment and in the transportation mode, the controlling step comprises one or more of: monitoring whether the ambient sound signal contains a voice signal; if the ambient sound signal contains a voice signal, performing an enhancement processing on the voice signal in the ambient sound signal, and performing an EQ compensation processing on the voice signal in the ambient sound signal; setting the active noise cancellation level to a highest noise cancellation level, or determining, according to the sound pressure level of the ambient sound signal, whether to perform the active noise cancellation, and if the active noise cancellation is to be performed, adjusting the noise cancellation level of the active noise cancellation according to the sound pressure level of the ambient sound signal; controlling the audio signal volume of the audio playback device according to the sound pressure level of the ambient sound signal reaching the speaker of the audio playback device, so that the sound pressure level of the audio signal reaching the speaker and the sound pressure level of the ambient sound signal reaching the speaker keep a preset proportion; not performing wind noise suppression; and monitoring whether the sound pressure level of the ambient sound signal is greater than a preset upper limit of the sound pressure level or less than a preset lower limit of the sound pressure level; if the sound pressure level of the ambient sound signal is greater than the preset upper limit of the sound pressure level, performing attenuation processing on the ambient sound signal; and if the sound pressure level of the ambient sound signal is less than the preset lower limit of the sound pressure level, performing amplification processing on the ambient sound signal.
9. The method of claim 5 , wherein if the usage scenario is that the user is in the indoor environment, in the stationary mode and the talking mode, the controlling step comprises one or more of: performing an enhancement processing on the voice signal in the ambient sound signal; performing an EQ compensation processing on a voice signal band in the ambient sound signal; not performing the active noise cancellation; turning down the audio signal volume or stopping playing the audio signal; and not performing wind noise suppression or dynamic range adjustment.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein acquiring the ambient sound signal of surrounding environment of the user comprises: acquiring the ambient sound signal of a real-time location of the user, and acquiring the ambient sound signal heard at an ear of the user.
11. A system for controlling an audio playback device, comprising: one or more processors; a memory which is coupled to at least one of the one or more processors; wherein the memory is configured to store computer program instructions; when the computer program instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the system performs a method for controlling an audio playback device; the method comprises: acquiring acceleration data of a user, and analyzing a usage scenario of the user according to the acceleration data; acquiring an ambient sound signal of surrounding environment of the user, calculating a sound pressure level of the ambient sound signal, and analyzing an energy distribution and a spectral distribution of the ambient sound signal; and controlling an audio signal volume of the audio playback device, an active noise cancellation level of the audio playback device, and adjustment of the ambient sound signal according to the usage scenario, the sound pressure level of the ambient sound signal, and the energy distribution and the spectral distribution of the ambient sound signal.
12. The system of claim 11 , wherein when the computer program instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the system performs the method for controlling an audio playback device; the method further comprises: acquiring geographic location data of the user; wherein analyzing the usage scenario of the user according to the acceleration data and the geographic location data.
13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the adjustment of the ambient sound signal comprises any one of wind noise suppression, voice enhancement, dynamic range adjustment or equalization (EQ) compensation, or any combination thereof.
14. The system of claim 13 , wherein when executing the instruction of analyzing the usage scenario of the user according to the acceleration data and the geographic location data, the at least one processor performs operations of: determining an environment type of the user according to the geographic location data; calculating a movement speed of the user according to the geographic location data; calculating a cadence value of the user according to the acceleration data; and determining the motion mode of the user according to the movement speed and the cadence value.
15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the environment types comprise an indoor environment and a road environment; the motion modes comprise any one of: a stationary mode, a walking mode, or a transportation mode.
16. The system of claim 15 , wherein when the computer program instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the system performs the method for controlling an audio playback device; the method further comprises: determining whether the user is in a talking mode.
17. The system of claim 15 , wherein if the usage scenario is that the user is in the road environment and in the walking mode, when executing the instruction of controlling the audio signal volume, the active noise cancellation level, and the adjustment of the ambient sound signal of the audio playback device according to the usage scenario, the sound pressure level of the ambient sound signal, and the energy distribution and the spectral distribution of the ambient sound signal, the at least one processor performs one or more of: performing suppressive filtering to a wind noise signal in the ambient sound signal; monitoring whether the ambient sound signal contains a voice signal; if the ambient sound signal contains a voice signal, performing enhancement processing on the voice signal in the ambient sound signal; performing dynamic range adjustment on the ambient sound signal according to the sound pressure level of the ambient sound signal; performing EQ compensation processing on the ambient sound signal; controlling the audio signal volume of the audio playback device according to the sound pressure level of the ambient sound signal reaching a speaker of the audio playback device, so that the sound pressure level of the audio signal reaching the speaker and the sound pressure level of the ambient sound signal reaching the speaker keep a preset proportion; and determining, according to the sound pressure level of the ambient sound signal, whether to perform active noise cancellation, and if the active noise cancellation is to be performed, adjusting a noise cancellation level of the active noise cancellation according to the sound pressure level of the ambient sound signal.
18. The system of claim 15 , wherein if the usage scenario is that the user is in the road environment and in the transportation mode, when executing the instruction of controlling the audio signal volume, the active noise cancellation level, and the adjustment of the ambient sound signal of the audio playback device according to the usage scenario, the sound pressure level of the ambient sound signal, and the energy distribution and the spectral distribution of the ambient sound signal, the at least one processor performs one or more of: monitoring whether the ambient sound signal contains the voice signal; if the ambient sound signal contains a voice signal, performing the enhancement processing on the voice signal in the ambient sound signal, and performing the EQ compensation processing on the voice signal in the ambient sound signal; setting the active noise cancellation level to a highest noise cancellation level, or determining, according to the sound pressure level of the ambient sound signal, whether to perform the active noise cancellation, and if the active noise cancellation is to be performed, adjusting the noise cancellation level of the active noise cancellation according to the sound pressure level of the ambient sound signal; controlling the audio signal volume of the audio playback device according to the sound pressure level of the ambient sound signal reaching the speaker of the audio playback device, so that the sound pressure level of the audio signal reaching the speaker and the sound pressure level of the ambient sound signal reaching the speaker keep the preset proportion; not performing the wind noise suppression; and monitoring whether the sound pressure level of the ambient sound signal is greater than a preset upper limit of the sound pressure level or less than a preset lower limit of the sound pressure level; if the sound pressure level of the ambient sound signal is greater than the preset upper limit of the sound pressure level, performing attenuation processing on the ambient sound signal; and if the sound pressure level of the ambient sound signal is less than the preset lower limit of the sound pressure level, performing amplification processing on the ambient sound signal.
19. The system of claim 15 , wherein if the usage scenario is that the user is in the indoor environment and in the stationary mode and the talking mode, when executing the instruction of controlling the audio signal volume, the active noise cancellation level, and the adjustment of the ambient sound signal of the audio playback device according to the usage scenario, the sound pressure level of the ambient sound signal, and the energy distribution and the spectral distribution of the ambient sound signal, the at least one processor performs one or more of: performing the enhancement processing on the voice signal in the ambient sound signal; performing the EQ compensation processing on a voice signal band in the ambient sound signal; not performing the active noise cancellation; turning down the audio signal volume or stopping playing the audio signal; and not performing the wind noise suppression or the dynamic range adjustment.
20. A computer program product stored in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, that when executed by the processor, implements a method for controlling an audio playback device, the method comprising: acquiring acceleration data of a user, and analyzing a usage scenario of the user according to the acceleration data, acquiring an ambient sound signal of surrounding environment of the user, calculating a sound pressure level (SPL) of the ambient sound signal, and analyzing an energy distribution and a spectral distribution of the ambient sound signal; and controlling an audio signal volume of the audio playback device, an active noise cancellation level of the audio playback device, and adjustment of the ambient sound signal according to the usage scenario, the sound pressure level of the ambient sound signal, and the energy distribution and the spectral distribution of the ambient sound signal.
Unknown
April 13, 2021
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